By; Hannah Kline
“So, I’ve always grown up with a lot of animals. Consisting from furry animals to scaly animals and because of that I’ve always felt more connected to animals. All of our cats that we have ever had have names that start with the letter M because of a mark that occurs on tabby cats with the shape of an M. For example, Meadow, Mowgli, Moonod, and Mo. As I have gotten older, I’ve began to adopt pets of my own. I currently have a crested gecko, a bearded dragon, two leopard geckos, two young ball pythons, a baby turtle, and a mouse. Personally I am attracted to all animals, but reptiles I particularly have a soft spot for. One thing most people don’t realize is that reptiles have personalities too. My snake, named Bagel, is very docile and he tends to be very social, while my other snake, Creamsicle, tends to be feisty and sometimes even aggressive. Bagel and my bearded dragon, Baloo, join me when I help my dad (an IPM specialist) with talks at schools. At these talks, we educate students on insects and reptiles interactions with insects. Most recently, I helped him with talks at the ARL for the nursing students. We discussed reasons why reptiles can be dangerous depending on the species and how to treat the infections or diseases caused by insects and reptiles. With this most recent talk, we brought a number of our animals(including scorpions, spiders, snakes, and lizards). The animals that we own help give me a purpose. They also help with educating others on how animals that may be perceived as dangerous or scary can actually be sweet and loving."
Hannah's Connection:
Carol Jean is my best friend and has been since 8th grade. We’ve been there for each other through a lot of good and bad times and always can back each other up. Right now CJ is dealing with depression and I know her animals are helping get her up and moving out of the house, so this was a good opportunity to learn more about how they help motivate her and help her reach out to others.
